Thanks for your advice. The auction says that the user has the original box which is displayed in one of the auction's photos. I've asked for the serial number but have not heard back from the seller yet. When the seller gets back to me I'll probably just pay. The seller has been on EBay for may years and has loads of positive feedback. Also I'm paying through PayPal which also offers a certain level of protection to both the buyer and seller.

The photos of the Rohloff gearbox should really show either:a) a blue and yellow plastic sticker on the box with the serial numberorb) the serial number laser-engraved on the metal

This is quite an important matter as Rohloff factory service is conditional upon the serial number being on the gearbox, or in exceptional cases the owner otherwise proving ownership.

However, if the fellow on Ebay says this was his personal Rohloff, and he has an excellent reputation, that's probably good enough, as long as he gives you documentation for the purchase (a receipt of some kind) and a warranty document (a red card with a perforation along one edge where the Rohloff half was torn off by the dealer to send to Rohloff). The warranty isn't actually transferable but it carries the serial number and is a further indication of ownership. The seeller may not think about sending it with the gearbox, so ask. Also ask for any service history he has -- there's an annual service document that comes in the box, supposed to be stamped by an official dealer, though most of us just do the service at home with the service materials Rohloff sells.

Even if the box is long out of warranty, and the warranty is in any event not transferable, there may down the line be some advantage to you, quite apart from secure ownership and the moral obligation not to buy dodgy goods. First owners get an unofficial lifetime warranty in that Rohloff generally does not charge owners who do not abuse the box, and sometimes not second owners either. It's an ultra-reliable box so this extra effort may never be "monetized", but you never know, and you're investing quite a bit more than you would for a lesser gearbox at least in part for the security of this longevity, so it is worth putting some effort into the documentation.

Thanks Andre for the advice. This will actually be my second Rohloff. The first was bought new and is on my Nomad. I have a Sherpa frame so the second Rohloff is for it. I love the Rohloff that's why a bought another. Was going to buy it new but chanced a bid on a auction for one today which I won.

Oh dear, how embarrassing, teaching my grandmother to suck eggs! Never mind, I'll let it stand because sooner rather than later a newbie will come along to ask how one goes about buying a secondhand Rohloff on the net, and someone will refer him to this thread.

Well I got the serial number - 079179. Looks like its an old one and I probably paid over the odds for it. I don't care though as long as it works. I have yet to recieve the item but it hasn't been used in a while and has probably spent a few years lying in someone's garage/shed. The Ebay add said it was used but still in perfect working order. I take it that Rohloffs can be left unused for years and still work okay? I'll clean it up when I get it and do an oil change. Anything else I need to do? My existing Rohloff was bought new, only a couple of years old, and is in use every day. Never had any problems with it and I don't expect to. But I don't have any experience with second hand units.

Well I got the serial number - 079179. Looks like its an old one and I probably paid over the odds for it. I don't care though as long as it works. I have yet to recieve the item but it hasn't been used in a while and has probably spent a few years lying in someone's garage/shed. The Ebay add said it was used but still in perfect working order. I take it that Rohloffs can be left unused for years and still work okay? I'll clean it up when I get it and do an oil change. Anything else I need to do? My existing Rohloff was bought new, only a couple of years old, and is in use every day. Never had any problems with it and I don't expect to. But I don't have any experience with second hand units.

I think it'll be usage rather than age that will eventually wear one out, my hub has been re shelled but the internals are the same S/N 036532 and it's been used every week since and still running trouble free.As you don't know how long it's been stood, I'd be tempted to give it a double oil change with just a hundred miles or so in between, I've also heard of people running them for a while on a 50/50 mix of flushing fluid and oil, though I don't know enough about that to be recommending it. Good investment is the oils in larger containers, not only does it make it cheap enough to do it more frequently than needed, it's always on hand.

I think it'll be usage rather than age that will eventually wear one out

I reckon a lot of usage. My old Sturmey-Archer S5/2 hubs have done long distances and are still going strong. Although more complicated, the Rohloff appears to be robustly built and I expect mine will outlast me.